Packing information for future volunteers

This post will be boring to anyone who is not soon to be a PCT in Guinea; or at least West Africa. Else I'm a horrible judge of what's interesting and this post will be the most phenomenal window into my life ever.

Having had a very difficult time finding information relevant to what I should pack, I will be frank and up front about what I brought that is very relevant and what I've bought online or had sent to me. I probably forgot stuff and that means it's not all that important to me.

IMPORTANT: buy quality. Do not sell yourself short; you will regret it. This refers to shoes and gear. I will refer to some specific stuff later on and make comments all along the way - I'm trying to make this list as easy to read and as informative as possible. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you have. I am more than willing to answer questions and help as much as I can - just keep in mind my Internet access is sporadic. I will reply as soon as I get a question, though. Just comment, and it will go into my inbox at which point I can reply to you, well I don't know how, but I'll be cold in Guinea before I put my e-mail address up in a public place for the world to see.

Clothing:

You should believe people who tell you clothing is for Pre-Service Training only. It is very easy and cheap to get clothes made here. Also, there are markets, which are either called friperie or the dead-white-person market, where you can buy American or European clothes that have been donated by various charity organizations. Yes, dead-white-person market; why on earth would someone give away perfectly good clothing? That question makes a lot more sense when you realize people wear clothes beyond the point at which they're falling off their bodies.

Also, keep in mind two things: I'm male and I'm an agroforestry volunteer (you will probably be expected to dress nicer than I did both during PST and at site - you won't be playing in anywhere near as much cow and chicken manure as I have). I've asked a female for input, but as I am not a female, well, read my last post to decide for yourself whether I really am.

For PST:

Pants - three or four pairs: zip-offs are great, khakis (one pair) will come in very handy, and I brought and absolutely love to pieces (literally, they've been patched twice already by a very cheap tailor) my cargo pants; no jeans - it's way too hot.

Shirts - I brought four collared shirts that are supposed to draw sweat off you, etc. and I love them. I brought four T-shirts; you can buy a slew here, but they were useful. I also brought three collared, button-down shirts; they're useful for being in the various Peace Corps bureaus and I wore them frequently during PST.

Socks - I stopped wearing shoes after three days and now only wear them in the bush at night. Bring some socks you'll play sports in - aka to run or shoot hoops in (there's a basketball court at the training site). Again - education volunteers are told to wear shoes, but from what they say, it's too hot and most wear nice sandals (this information from a male volunteer in the coldest region in Guinea).

Underwear - I brought seven pairs of briefs and four pairs of boxers. I think boxers are worse in intense heat; others disagree. Go with what you prefer in heat. Katie's advice (http://tckinguinea.blogspot.com/): If you don't want to do laundry often, 70 pairs of panties (she admits she's extreme), and 13 bras (3 are sports bras). Obviously others bring fewer pairs. Here's a kicker: I get underwear sent to me as padding in boxes because they really don't survive the washboard. I have a stock of new pairs that I rotate in when an old pair disintegrates. I know that last sentence just made my mother happy; I don't like to throw away clothes until they're absolutely useless - I have some very old things here with me.

Hat - I brought an awesome hat with a wide, floppy brim and a mesh/solid top combo. It's fantastic for the heat. It doesn't matter if you think it will make you stand out and look stupid - you will anyway because you're American and you just won't be able to hide it. The two black girls in our group have complained that Guineans called them white simply because they're American. So a hat will just make you comfortable. Besides, the Guineans will all be jealous of you anyway. I also bought a straw hat because I was tired of my brim always blowing in my face when it's windy. I still use the one I brought all the time, though - it travels much better than a straw hat and is cooler.

Katie also recommends Underarmour sweat stuff and any lightweight pants as well as lots of shirts because you will sweat a lot - especially during PST as your body still gets used to the heat. Can you tell I'm sitting next to her as I write this? Anyway, it's good to get multiple opinions.

Bring one light-weight sweater. It is sometimes chilly and you will feel cold eventually - again when you get used to the heat, or in the mornings and evenings at different times of the year according to your region.

I did not bring any light-weight, long-sleeved shirts. Some would recommend one or two just to help keep the sun off. Seeing as how I now often wear mesh A-shirts, you should be able to figure out that I use sunscreen (several times a day) to avoid sunburn.

Shoes:

Close-toed shoes are a must for the start and you will find a use for them at important functions.

Running shoes or shoes to exercise in are key.

Good sandals: I was under the impression the Peace Corps discount Chaco gives us would be taken care of in country. Not so. Go ahead and e-mail them now (help@chacousa.com), sending along a scan of your invitation or whatever official letter Peace Corps sent you saying you are going to serve here in Guinea. They don't ship abroad, so get them before you come.

Flip-flops - for flip-flopping around the hut/house. I've been wearing mine into the bush. I got them resoled very well for about a buck, but then the strap broke. I sewed it back onto the shoe with dental floss, but I had to break down and buy some Guinean sandals because it wasn't going to last and I've got a long trip ahead of me for the next week. I, stupidly, did not get nice, strong American sandals before coming to Guinea and now I'm paying the price.

Boots - I brought them to wear in the bush. I wore them once, when I was in the bush at night. Not sure how much I'd wear them if I had sandals. As I was choosing between hauling a warthog around the bush in the dark with flip-flops or boots, there really wasn't a question (upcoming post).

Katie also brought a pair of dress shoes. I don't like to go out dancing, frankly I'm happier spending the night in the bush. But I'm not stupid; most volunteers go dancing in their regional capitals and Conakry. So bring stuff that'll make you feel good if you want.

That's an important factor: many people take great joy and comfort in clothing. I'm more practical and to be honest, I've owned most of the clothes I brought since high school (and some things even longer - and I didn't come here right out of college...). If clothes are important to you, bring stuff that will make you feel good. Examples: clothes to feel good about yourself if you want to feel sexy, or something comfortable to lounge around in when in your own home (I just wear a piece of cloth I got here that serves as a skirt - very comfy). This section is grateful to Katie's kind input and I give credit where credit is due.

Gear:

Two crank flashlights QUALITY!

Headlamp - I'm going to criticize Black Diamond here; DO NOT buy their headlamp; I love a lot of their gear, but four different people have had Black Diamond headlamps break on them. I don't use my headlamp, though. Instead I took some cloth, went to a tailor, and had him make a head strap to hold my crank flashlight as a headlamp. I figure I won't blaze through batteries unless I absolutely have to.

Leatherman or other multi-tool

Pocketknife without all the gadgets. I always carry my knife with no frills with me and I use it daily for everything - making slingshots, cooking, skinning mangos, skinning warthogs, cutting rope, everything. I also wash it when necessary - health is key!

Solio - great for charging your iPod; I'm scared to use it on my phone because I've read it can fry those; but it's gold with an iPod.

iPod - you know you love technology. Lots of people (not me) loaded theirs up with movies, TV shows, and other things they enjoy beyond music.

Cassette converter - being able to plug your iPod into a tape deck is a phenomenal thing here in Guinea. Long road trips in Peace Corps cars and bush taxis become so much more bearable. And it works much better than the small broadcasting devices (iTrip?).

Laptops (I bought an XO thinking it would come with the crank charger and man was I unhappy when I saw it didn't.) Everyone who brought one is happy about it. I don't know anyone who brought a solar panel to charge theirs. I bought a Weza (http://www.freeplayenergy.com/product/weza) online, hasn't arrived yet, and will post my thoughts on it after it arrives and I can say something about it (I also got something to plug into a cigarette lighter to transform it into a wall plug). My thought about a solar panel is that I'd have to put it somewhere everyone could see just to charge it; I'm not comfortable flashing that kind of property in front of a village of poor people who might be tempted to steal it and sell it for two bucks.

Carabiners - I brought six; I use them all the time

Watch - with an alarm

Compass - I have one built into my watch, and yes I do use it.

Sunglasses - I wear glasses (I have worn contacts in the past; some people do here, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle - it's a cosmetic choice) and bought some clip-ons. They're fantastic. I wouldn't buy the Guinean sunglasses; if sunglasses don't offer full UVA/UVB protection, you're just frying your retinas.

Small speakers for your iPod

A mosquito-net hammock; I bought one online, and brought a Bug-Hut from REI; I love my Bug Hut and many PCVs are jealous of my hut. I got the one for two people; phenomenal for sprawling or making space for your Nyari-in-a-bucket (he destroys mosquito nets if I don't protect them from him).

A very light-weight sleeping bag - excellent for cold nights (yes, there are some), especially if you get posted in the Fouta, or Haute in the "cold" season.

Nalgenes - widemouth and skinnymouth (very good for biking)

Camelback - I bought one, then didn't bring it, and now wish I had - for biking.

Gel seat for bike - vital; again, I bike a lot.

Small screwdrivers - great for fixing other people's stuff (read: sunglasses) and my crank flashlight (twice) as well as my glasses, should they ever meet with bad luck

Cell phone - I have one from Europe, so it's compatible with the GSM network; get the codes to unlock it before you come; it's a headache here.

Mess kit - as I intend to take long bike trips, I have decided I should buy one and have it sent here; I might try to build one in a market here, but so far I haven't been able to find what I'd like.

There are a million things I've forgotten and will append after I take inventory at site.

Stuff to do:

I brought watercolors (with watercolor paper); Scrabble; UNO; two packs of cards; dice; backgammon; checkers and chess (cut up a dowl and I'm carving my own pieces); a carving knife and tool with two whetstones; a guitar (Martin backpacker - it doesn't even sound like a banjo to me after four months and wonderful to carry around in bush taxis, etc.); a journal - I write nearly every day; sketch pad with pencils (different weights as well as colored) as well as erasers, sharpener, and an eraser shield; and probably a lot of other stuff I can't remember.

Some people bring lots of books; I decided to depend on the selection in country and only bring a few books - so far, so good.

Those with laptops brought DVDs, too.

The most important things I brought are things to do. Without question; it's how I entertain myself in the evenings, during prayer, or just whenever I've got some down time.

Luggage:

One backpack, large

One backpack, carry-on; with hip and chest straps - those make carrying for a long time or all day, or in hot weather so much more comfortable; mine has a mesh on the back and two mesh sidepockets, all three of which I use constantly. Once my host mom during PST knew I was going on a trip and gave me two pineapples, mimicking my movement of putting food into the side pockets. That was without question, the greatest moment of communication we ever had - even better than the first time I said "rice and sauce" in Susu, poorly: bande boray.

I brought a duffle bag. When I load up, I sling it over my shoulders, on top of my large backpack. I have my small one in front, and the travel guitar was smashed between my small backpack and my chest.

Most people brought one large backpack (carry-on) and two wheeled suitcases. Then again, most people brought a lot more stuff than I did (in spite of what you're reading - seriously, I didn't bring much in the way of clothing; I do my laundry once a week and went to town on the free box at site and the mesh shirts in the market).

I got a shoulder bag from the free box and I love it. If you're still in country when I leave, it just might become yours, because it's not going home with me.